We can’t stress this point enough; joy is infectious. So, whatever you do, spread joy. Ask yourself if you are creating content your customers will love and share. Make sure you always have the customer in mind when creating your videos as opposed to pushing your company sales pitch.

Here are seven examples of companies that created holiday marketing videos that resonated with their audience.

WestJet - Christmas Miracle: 12,000 mini miracles

We mentioned this video as an example in our blog post about online holiday marketing strategies, but it deserves to be called out again because it’s such an excellent example of a viral video.

With the goal of making Christmas miracles happen, WestJet set out to complete 12,000 mini miracles in 24 hours.

They were able to complete 31,793 mini miracles in total by asking for the help of their followers on Instagram and Twitter. People were asked to share their acts of kindness with the hashtag #WestJetChristmas. The hashtag was shared thousands of times across social media, and the video was viewed more than 1.5 million times, exponentially expanding WestJet’s brand reach and helping it live on as one of the best holiday marketing videos two years after it was produced.

Contact Our Storytelling Experts to Create Engaging Videos Your Audience Will Want to Watch Again and Again

2. Kate Spade - #Missadventure: The Waiting Game

In this video, Anna Kendrick is cast as a witty New Yorker passing the time while locked out of her apartment. The premise is light, fun, entertaining, and has a plot everyone can relate to.

Part of a series of #Missadventure videos, Kate Spade produced each ad as if it were part of a mini television series. Because the first series had so much success, Kate Spade decided to launch part two.

The most brilliant aspect of this campaign is that it keeps viewers wanting more and generates buzz around the series, thereby promoting the brand itself.

3. John Lewis: #BustertheBoxer

U.K. Department store John Lewis has a history of creating brilliant ads during the holidays. Last year, they came out with what is possibly one of the funniest commercials of all time.

Buster, the family dog, watches six-year-old Bridget jump up and down on her bed on Christmas Eve. And he watches the neighborhood critters jump on the newly set up trampoline after Bridget’s father sets it up that night. Low and behold, Buster is yearning to jump too.

John Lewis didn’t stop with the commercial; they even created stuffed animal toys resembling Buster and the neighborhood critters for customers to purchase in the store. The flagship store also had a virtual trampoline bouncing experience!

This commercial is a fine example of taking an idea and turning it into an integrated marketing campaign.

4. UPS - Your Wishes Delivered: Driver for a Day

“So many of the packages we deliver begin with a wish.” UPS designed their “Your Wishes Delivered” campaign to encourage customers to share their wishes via social media using the hashtag #WishesDelivered.

One of the most endearing wishes delivered was to a 4-year-old named Carson who wanted to be a UPS driver for a day. So, UPS made that happen, and the world sighed a collective “awwwwww.”

While UPS is one of the largest delivery services in the world, they have quite a lot of competition including the USPS and FedEx. And with Amazon now on their heels, it’s more important than ever to have a brand people can relate to on a personal level.

This campaign delivers a personal connection with their customers and provides background about the company values and culture.

5. Apple: Frankie’s Holiday

By combining a classic Halloween character and the spirit of Christmas, Apple was able to show off the iPhone while spreading a message of love and acceptance.

In what looks like a scene straight out of Whoville, Frankenstein makes his way to town with a package and a recording of “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays.” He takes two bulbs out of the package (one green and one red) and begins singing along to the recording on his iPhone.

The attempt to spread holiday cheer doesn’t go according to plan for “Frankie” when the townspeople stare at him in complete dismay as one of his lightbulbs flickers out. A little girl comes to Frankie’s aid by plugging the light bulb back in and joining him in song.

6. Michaels: The Make Off

Michael’s Stores partnered with Busy Phillips to show off their artsy collection of inventory in several cute videos called “The Make Off.”

In each video, Busy faces off against another celebrity in a game of “Who made it best?”

This particular video pitted Snoop Dogg and Busy against each other in a contest to see who could make the best Christmas ornaments.

Not only is the video hilarious (partly because watching famous rapper Snoop Dogg create Christmas ornaments is super ironic), but it inspires fun DIY holiday projects for Michael’s Stores customers and prospects.

7. Budweiser: #HolidayBuds

To reach a Millennial audience, Budweiser teamed up with North Carolina vintage shop Vintage Editions to package their bottled beer in prohibition style crates.

The limited edition packaging created quite the buzz among Millennials when shared across social media channels with the hashtag #HolidayBuds.

A generation of people who are always seeking the “next best thing,” most Millennials trust each other more than brands. So, if a brand can harvest Millennial ambassadors, they will gain the trust of a Millennial audience.

Budweiser nailed it with the #HolidayBuds campaign by asking Millennials, “If you could grab a Bud with any of your friends this holiday, who would it be?”

..............................

What are your favorite holiday video advertisements? Share with us in the comments below!

Contact Our Storytelling Experts to Create Engaging Videos Your Audience Will Want to Watch Again and Again